A young Muslim American experiences his faith at another level
By Yusuf Rasul
September/October 2022
I never thought I had it in me. Living in a mosque for 10 days without my beloved phone (and family, of course) always seemed like it would be too much for me to handle. I told myself I might do it in a few years when I become a better Muslim or maybe when I have less on my plate. But thankfully my friend inspired me to take the leap this year, and it was so worth it.
My previous expectation of i‘tikaf was that everyone had their own little areas separated by curtains and just read the Quran and prayed all day, every day. However, while some mosques still do it this way, my experience was different. The number of friends I made and the knowledge I gained were beyond my wildest expectations. It truly was one of the best decisions of my entire life.
Instead of partitioned rooms, we all slept on a big open floor in the mosque’s basement. We came here to sleep at night and for our after-zuhr naps; however, this wasn’t where we spent the most time. And thank goodness for that, because the snoring of 60+ uncles all in one room is horrifying. I made friends because on the second day I borrowed someone’s phone to ask my cousin to bring me earplugs. When word got out that I had the key to a good night’s sleep, everyone came flocking trying to get their hands on some. That was the start of some great friendships.
And great friendships they were. One night a few of us stayed up until 1 p.m., not a.m., having deep conversations about life, society, raising kids and much more. It was amazing meeting people with whom I had so much in common — guys around my age who were struggling to avoid sin but also working to improve themselves. This went against my previous misconception that i‘tikaf was going to be full of judgmental uncles. I was glad to have proven myself wrong!
We heard amazing stories about reverts, learned a lot from students doing hifz and alim courses at the masjid and had a lot of heated arguments over the state of Pakistan. I even had a mini wrestling match one night that we thought would be appropriate, as it’s sunnah. However, we had to shut that down because some uncles didn’t agree.
The food was also better than expected. We broke our fasts with dates, fruit chat and delicious pakoras and then went to pray maghrib together. When we came back, we were greeted by amazing biryanis, burgers and much more. Some days they ordered chicken sandwiches from the local halal restaurants, and all us kids were ecstatic. During sehri there were options for both desi (South Asian) and American dishes, and everyone got to pick what they liked. And while the line was at almost 100 feet long, al hamdu lillah there was always enough food for all of us.
We spent most of our time in the mosque’s main prayer hall individually reading the Quran, gathering for congregational prayers and standing for hours during taraweeh (and fundraising). But most of all we were there for the hour-long talks held after each jamaat — except maghrib.
Even though our generation has the attention span of goldfish, we were engaged the entire time.
Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed, imam and director of Masjid DarusSalam, and Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed, principal of the Academy as well as one of the institute’s directors, were amazing speakers whose words ended up changing my life. My nani (maternal grandmother) had told me to take notes. Although I never liked taking notes in high school, I’m so glad I did this time. There was no way I could remember what they said, and every word they said was worth remembering.
One of the most important things I learned was about the power of du‘a, how we can get anything we ask God for if we work toward it as well. Yes, manifesting your reality isn’t something zodiac sign-obsessed girls made up recently. It’s what God promised us can happen if we put our complete faith in Him.
Another main thing emphasized during our last few days was consistently remembering Allah and avoiding sin. I understood where they were coming from and planned to not waver from the good habits I had established; however, I underestimated how enticing Satan’s tricks are and how slippery the slope of sin actually is. It’s easy to stay pure when you’re surrounded by a pure community. But once you get out in the real world, the real test begins. They reminded us to stay connected with the masjid, as staying close to a good community will help us stay strong ourselves.
My i‘tikaf ended two months ago. Although I didn’t stay as strong as I would have liked, I know I will continue to improve and learn from my mistakes.
My experience took place at Masjid DarusSalam in Lombard, Ill., a beautiful mosque filled with beautiful people. While some may not like this style of i‘tikaf and would rather be more secluded, I absolutely loved it, especially with it being my first time ever. I was surprised that I didn’t feel homesick or bored at all. We had plenty of space to roam around in, and it was really fun connecting with my newfound brothers. I’m definitely doing it again next year, inshallah, and if you’ve read this far, I believe you should too. If not for the full 10 days, then at least for a few.
It truly was a life-changing experience, and I now feel much more fulfilled and happier. Even if you don’t feel like you have the strength or the time to do i‘tikaf next year, ask Allah to give you the strength and time necessary to make it happen. After all, God promised us this, “Call unto Me, and I shall answer your prayer” (40:60). Now all we need to do is ask.
Yusuf Rasul, 20, a Chicago native studying marketing at Elgin Community College, aims to transfer to Loyola University.
Tell us what you thought by joining our Facebook community. You can also send comments and story pitches to horizons@isna.net. Islamic Horizons does not publish unsolicited material.